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As the government of Zimbabwe launches the 2025 UNDP Human Development Report, the country stands at a digital crossroads, advancing its national development strategies and building towards the success of Vision 2030. The report’s theme, “A matter of Choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI” serves as a mirror reflecting the country’s choices and guiding its collective future.
The Minister of ICT, Hon. Tatenda Mavetera, emphasized the importance of human-centered AI. “AI must be human-centered,” she said. “Technology such as AI must not replace us, but enhance our capacity to self-develop, Zimbabwe is at digital crossroads” To achieve this, Zimbabwe is cultivating a generation that creates solutions rooted in local reality through nationwide robotics programs and university innovation hubs.
The minister stressed the need to close digital divides and ensure that no Zimbabwean is excluded from the digital economy. “We must act now to ensure that no Zimbabwean, whether a rural farmer, a woman entrepreneur, an elder, or a person with disability, is excluded from the digital economy,” she said.
She announced the launch of a Digital Skills Ambassadorship Program to ensure that digital skills are acquired by all citizens, including those in rural areas. “Let’s see them acquire digital skills,” she emphasized. “This is what we need as a country.”
The Minister believes that AI should be a democratizing force, not a source of inequality. “AI must not entrench exclusion, but it must dismantle it,” she stressed. “AI should be a force that promotes equality and inclusion.”
She also recognized the importance of partnerships in ensuring responsible AI. “We need to dwell in partnerships that are crucial to responsible AI,” she noted. “Together to build guardrails of ethics, frameworks of accountability, and coalitions of solidarity to ensure AI serves the common good.” By working together, Zimbabwe can harness the potential of AI to drive development and improve the lives of its citizens.
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